Update 1: Let's Get Started | January 01

Posted on January 01, 2016 by Niek Nijsen

Since my previous F-16 model wasn’t such a success as I hoped, I decided to redo the kit but in a different paint scheme. Because I’ve never done a group build before, I thought it’d be nice to combine the two. I’ll be building the 1/32 Tamiya F-16, highly adjusted to match the Dutch F-16AM (Block 15 MLU update). The model will be depicted as J-366 of the 313 SQN in The Netherlands (based in my hometown) with their 50-year celebration paint scheme. Let’s get started!

First things first, here’s a list of the items I will be using for this build:
- 1/32 Tamiya F-16CJ Block 50 kit
- 1/32 Tamiya F-16 Thunderbirds kit (inlet parts only)
- PWMP Dutch parahousing
- PWMP Dutch MLU upgrade
- PWMP LANTIRN upgrade
- Eduard PE cockpit upgrade set
- Master Model pitot-tube and dischargers
- Zotz decals for “50 years 313 SQN”
- Combination of enamel & acrylic paints, including Vallejo, LifeColor, and others.

It might seem weird but a lot of my parts are already cut from the sprues and no longer in the original box (I’ve got approval from Phil to participate in this group build ;) ). The reason for this is because I’m building this model at my girlfriend’s place, which meant that I had to cut the parts to fit them in a box for easy / cheaper shipping. So sadly there’s no original box anymore and most parts are in a plastic bag to avoid losing them. I’ve taken photos of them as best as I could, including the sprues that still exist.

Photos of sprues and aftermarket parts will follow with my next update as I’m writing this from my place and all the parts are already at my girlfriend’s.

I cut the cockpit parts and left them at my place for assembly and painting (all the painting will be done at my place since that’s where I’ve got my airbrushes and paints). The parts that will make up the cockpit, including the Eduard upgrade set, can be seen in this photo.

The decals by Zotz are also still at my place, so I took a separate photo of them.

It seems my CDO (OCD in alphabetical order) has gotten the better of me and I made a schedule, as I won’t have much time to build this model due to work and building the kit at 2 different locations.

The finished model will be placed on a special stand, designed by my dad for the original F-16 build I did. Therefore I’ll be building the new model displayed in flight as well, with a full weapon load including Sidewinders, GBU’s and AMRAAMS. The photos below are from him making the stand.

That’s it for now; I’ll try to do an update every 2 weeks (unless a lot has happened and requires an extra update).

Thanks for following!

P.S. Photos mentioned in the above update (marked with a *) can be found in the photo album.

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